I am writing a book about Open Source Politics, Economics and Ideology. There is a chapter on Portable Applications and I refer to the work of J. Haller.
I thought I had grasped the premise of this site, but am a little confused.
The best way to be brief about my point is to take the example of the PStart Launcher.
This is closed source, although free, in the sense of it being available for use without payment. There is another Launcher, called ASuite, that is Open Source (GPL).
Yet, PStart has been chosen to be promoted on this site instead of ASuite.
Meanwhile, the work evolved by Yadabyte, which is Open Source (GPL) is not promoted, because the source is not available.
Would it be possible for John or an authoratative spokesman to explain the policy here. Is PortableApps.com devoted to OS Software licensed under the familiar OS Licenses, that make source available? In which case, why is PStart promoted instead of ASuite?
Or, is there actually no policy, and the software chosen just a matter of personal preference on the part of John?
I just want to make sure I properly and accurately represent this site and its community, because I thought I had understood but, in the light of the PStart choice I clearly have missed the point.
Thanks
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PStart is just more well-known and ASuite has a few problems. As for the Yadabyte program, if the source code is not available, then the license is being violated. Overall, I think John chooses to develop launchers for open-source programs because of redistribution issues. He likes to have a complete distribution. Of course, I'm not him, so I can't say for sure.
Vintage!
PStart was placed on the site because, at the time, it was the only customizable launcher available. And I wanted people to have, at the very least, a free launcher they could use... even if it wasn't Free (capital F). ASuite is relatively new, and there are still kinks to be worked out. I've been in contact with the author and have assisted in ensuring that it is properly GPL licensed and meets the appropriate guidelines, including all the internal components he's utilized, some of which weren't originally GPLed by their authors. Once ASuite is fully up to speed, it will probably be listed here.
I'm also working on an open source launcher menu called Portable Apps Menu. It automatically integrates with the other apps released by PortableApps.com.
As far as open source goes, all the apps I'm working on are open source under an OSI-certified license. The 12 apps I've already released are all open source. The 3 original apps I am working on, including the menu, are open source. And the other 15 apps I am working on making portable are also open source. All are under OSI-approved licenses. The bits I add (launchers, etc) are all licensed under the GPL.
I hope that clarifies things a bit.
Regards,
John
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Thankyou.
In fact I had understood correctly in the first place then. PStart is just an unusual exception to the guidelines.
Many thanks.